(KG) SP20BBNFRIEDRICH — Left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich, age 20, participated with the team during batting practice Thursday afternoon, June 19, 2008 at Coors Field. Friedrich was the first-round selection for the Rockies and the 25th player overall taken in the amateur draft. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

SAN DIEGO — A month into the season, patience is rapidly reaching an expiration date. Nobody who isn’t drinking purple Kool-Aid thought the Rockies were going to lead the National League West at this point, but the idea they could be buried this month is unacceptable.

This trip has become a referendum on their starting pitching — and, as a result, pitching coach Bob Apodaca. The Rockies believe in stability more than any other major-league team, even in the face of contradictory results. Last September, manager Jim Tracy was given the power to decide on his staff, and he stayed loyal to his coaches. He’s a former assistant himself.

But the starting rotation is quickly becoming indefensible. The Rockies entered Tuesday’s game with a 5.75 ERA, ranking 27th in baseball. The .309 average against is second worst.

Apodaca isn’t the one falling behind in counts or failing to execute breaking pitches. It’s hardly his fault that Jeremy Guthrie popped a chain on his bike, creating a gaping hole in the staff. And Apodaca would look a lot smarter if Jorge De La Rosa were anchoring the staff.

Still, the fact remains that the Rockies’ future rests solely in its young arms: Alex White, Drew Pomeranz, Jhoulys Chacin and Christian Friedrich. Simply put, White and Pomeranz must show progress under Apodaca’s watch. It’s a sobering reality for a team that will never attract big-name free agents.

Plenty of pitchers have blossomed under Apodaca, including all-stars Shawn Chacon and Jason Marquis, 17-game winner Jeff Francis and reclamation projects such as Shawn Estes, Darren Oliver and De La Rosa. The Rockies desperately need more success stories.

White and Pomeranz struggled last September for perfectly understandable reasons (White had a finger injury that prevented him from snapping his slider, and Pomeranz sat idle for 17 days after the trade from the Indians and an appendectomy). Apodaca traveled to North Carolina to work with White over the winter, allowing the pair to “get on the same page,” the right-hander said.

The side sessions, the spring games, the discussions need to translate. It doesn’t have to be measured in wins and losses, but in steady progress. The Rockies have seen two critical pieces dissolve before their eyes the past two seasons. Ubaldo Jimenez went from the All-Star Game to a fourth starter. His contract, or lack thereof, played a role in his mind-set, and his lack of communication made it hard to get him straightened out. That’s not on Apodaca.

Chacin also has gone dangerously downhill. He was the staff’s best pitcher through the middle of June last year, poised to become an ace. He has won three of 21 starts since, posting a 5.14 ERA. Apodaca has worked relentlessly to fix mechanical issues, but the impact was limited because of Chacin’s biceps tendinitis in spring training and current shoulder inflammation.

If guys are hurt — Jimenez insisted after the trade that he was dealing with lingering leg issues he never shared with the Rockies’ training staff — then coaching can only go so far.

But the arms of White and Pomeranz are healthy. Both are former first-round picks and responsible for making the Jimenez trade make sense. Pomeranz has shown flashes of a top-shelf talent despite being interrupted by a strained hip, a forearm and now a bruised thigh. White hasn’t shown he can be a big-league starter. Will that change in his second spin on the merry-go-round?

“It would be incredible if he or (Friedrich) or both could make a statement. What a shot in the arm that would be,” Tracy said.

Apodaca has had limited interaction with Friedrich, who had never pitched above Double-A before this season.

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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